Chicago kitchen remodels fall into three cost tiers, and the tier you land in is set by how far the work goes past the surface.

• Cosmetic refresh. The layout stays exactly where it is. New countertops, backsplash, hardware, paint, lighting fixtures in the existing boxes, and either refaced or refinished cabinets. Nothing moves inside the walls, so no permit is usually needed and the price stays predictable.
• Full remodel in the same footprint. New cabinets, countertops, flooring, sink, lighting, and appliances, with plumbing and electrical staying roughly where they are. This is the most common Chicago project and where most homeowners land.
• Gut remodel with a layout change. Walls come out, the sink or range moves, the electrical panel gets upgraded, or the footprint expands into a neighboring room. Structural work, permit drawings, and mechanical relocation all get added to the scope.

Within any tier, the four items that move the number most are cabinet construction, countertop material, whether plumbing and electrical have to move, and the condition of what is behind the walls. Custom or semi custom cabinets can cost several times what stock cabinets cost for the same run of wall. Quartz and natural stone price very differently than laminate. Moving a sink to the opposite wall means opening the floor and running new supply and drain lines. And in an older building, opening the walls can reveal wiring or pipes that have to be brought up to current code before the new kitchen goes in.

AMG Proline gives you a fixed written estimate after an in home measure, itemized by trade and material, so you can see exactly what each decision costs before anything is ordered. We do not quote off square footage averages, because two kitchens of the same size in the same neighborhood can differ by tens of thousands of dollars once you look behind the drywall.

There are two clocks running on a kitchen remodel, and homeowners are often surprised by the first one.

Before demolition. Design, selections, measuring, and ordering happen first. Cabinets are the long lead item and are typically ordered several weeks ahead of the start date because they are built after you order them. Countertops cannot be templated until the cabinets are physically installed, which adds another one to two weeks mid project. If your scope needs a permit with plan review, that review time runs during this same window. Good planning overlaps all of it so nothing sits idle.

On site. Once demolition starts, a cosmetic refresh usually takes about two to three weeks. A full remodel in the same footprint usually takes about five to eight weeks. A gut remodel with a layout change, a wall removal, or a panel upgrade usually takes about eight to twelve weeks.

The on site sequence rarely changes: demolition, then rough plumbing and electrical, then inspection, then insulation and drywall, then flooring, then cabinet installation, then countertop template and installation, then backsplash, then paint, then appliances and plumbing fixtures, then final inspection and punch list. Each stage has to finish before the next can start, which is why adding a single change mid project can push the finish date by more than the change itself takes to perform.

The two things that most often extend a schedule are late selections and mid project changes. If you decide on tile after demolition has already begun, the tile setter has nothing to work with when his window arrives. AMG Proline locks selections before demolition and gives you a written schedule with stage dates so you know what is happening in your home each week.

In most cases, yes. Chicago requires a permit once the work goes past finishes and touches the systems in the walls.

Work that generally requires a permit:

• Removing, moving, or altering any wall, including load bearing walls
• Adding or relocating electrical circuits, outlets, or the panel
• Moving the sink, dishwasher, or any supply or drain line
• Running a new gas line for a range or cooktop
• Adding or rerouting HVAC ductwork or a new exterior vent for a hood
• Changing a window or door opening

Work that generally does not require a permit:

• Painting, cabinet hardware, and cabinet door replacement
• Countertops and backsplash
• Flooring over the existing subfloor
• Replacing cabinets in the same locations with no change to plumbing or electrical
• Swapping a light fixture or appliance for a similar one in the same spot

Chicago runs two tracks. Simpler scopes that do not need architectural plans can go through the city's expedited permit path, which skips full plan review and moves quickly. Anything structural, or anything with significant systems work, goes through standard plan review, which takes considerably longer and requires a drawing set. Permit applications are submitted electronically through the city's building portal, and the issued permit has to be posted at the job site before permitted work begins.

Chicago also requires that licensed electricians and licensed plumbers pull permits under their own licenses for their portion of the work. That is not something a general contractor can do on their behalf. Review timelines and fees change, so confirm current requirements with the Chicago Department of Buildings for your specific scope.

AMG Proline prepares the permit package, files it, coordinates our licensed electrical and plumbing trades on their filings, and schedules every inspection. You do not go to the Department of Buildings. Skipping permits is not worth the savings: unpermitted kitchen work surfaces during the attorney review or inspection stage when you sell, and buyers routinely ask for it to be torn out and redone.

If you live in a condo or an association building in Chicago, almost certainly yes, and this is the single most common reason a project start date slips.

Most Chicago associations require an alteration agreement approved before any work begins. A typical package includes:

• A certificate of insurance from your contractor naming the association as an additional insured, usually at specific coverage limits set by the building
• A scope of work description, and for anything structural, a stamped drawing set
• Proof of contractor licensing and workers compensation coverage
• A refundable damage deposit held by the association
• Agreement to the building's permitted work hours, often weekdays only between set hours, with no weekend or holiday work
• Freight elevator reservation, elevator padding, and floor protection along the route from the loading dock to your unit
• A plan for debris removal and where a dumpster can sit, if one is allowed at all

Boards often meet monthly, so allow two to four weeks for approval and build it into the schedule. High rise projects in particular need the association approval running alongside the city permit application, not after it, or you lose weeks waiting on one while the other sits ready.

Sound transmission is worth flagging early. Many associations restrict hard surface flooring, or require a specific underlayment rating beneath tile or hardwood. If your kitchen sits above another unit, check the declaration before you select flooring.

AMG Proline provides the certificate of insurance, licensing documentation, and scope description your board needs, and works within your building's hours and access rules. Give us your association's alteration packet at the estimate stage and we will complete our portion of it.

Yes. Opening the wall between the kitchen and the living or dining room is one of the most requested changes in Chicago homes, and it is very achievable. What matters is what that wall is doing.

First we determine whether it is load bearing. A partition wall that carries nothing can usually come out with framing and patching, and the job is straightforward. A load bearing wall is carrying floor joists or a wall above it, and removing it requires a beam sized to carry that load.

If it is load bearing, the work includes: a structural engineer or architect sizing the beam and producing stamped drawings, a building permit through standard plan review, temporary shoring to hold the structure while the wall comes out, the new beam set in place, and posts carrying that load down through the floors to a footing that can take it. That last part is important and often overlooked. The load has to land on something adequate at the bottom, which in a Chicago basement sometimes means a new footing poured under the post location.

You will also have to relocate whatever is inside the wall. Walls in older Chicago homes commonly hold electrical runs, plumbing supply lines, a drain or vent stack, HVAC ducts, and sometimes a gas line. A plumbing stack in particular can be expensive to move because it runs the full height of the building, and it occasionally makes more sense to design around it as a partial wall or a column than to relocate it.

You have a choice between a dropped beam and a flush beam. A dropped beam sits below the ceiling and is visible, which costs less. A flush beam is set within the floor structure so the ceiling reads as continuous, which costs more but gives you the clean uninterrupted look most people picture. In Chicago two flats and three flats, be aware that a bearing wall often stacks through multiple floors, so removing it on your floor can affect the units above.

Plan for the ceiling and floor to need patching across the seam where the wall was, and for the flooring in both rooms to be addressed together so the transition does not read as an obvious repair. AMG Proline handles the engineering coordination, permit, structural work, mechanical relocation, and the finish work that makes the opening look original to the home.

Most of our clients do stay, and it is entirely workable as long as you know what to expect.

You will not have a kitchen for the full on site duration. Plan a temporary kitchen somewhere else in the home before demolition day. A refrigerator relocated to the dining room or basement, a microwave, a coffee maker, an electric kettle, and a folding table covers most of it. Some clients add a portable induction burner. Paper plates for the duration are a small expense that saves a lot of frustration, since you will not have a kitchen sink to wash in.

Dust is the thing people underestimate. We seal the work area with zip wall barriers, cover the floors along the path from the entry to the kitchen, and run air scrubbers during demolition and drywall sanding. It still gets everywhere to some degree, so pack away anything in adjacent rooms that you do not want to clean afterward, and take art off the walls in the rooms that share a wall with the kitchen.

Utility interruptions are short and scheduled. Water shutoffs happen during plumbing rough in and fixture setting, usually for a few hours and always with advance notice. Electrical shutoffs are limited to the kitchen circuits in most cases, though a panel upgrade means a full day without power. You will know the date beforehand.

The loud phases are demolition, floor prep, and tile cutting. If you work from home, take calls elsewhere on those days. If you have small children, a nap schedule, or pets that stress easily, the demolition week is the one worth staying elsewhere for. Everything after that is much quieter.

We lock the site at the end of each day, keep the work area contained, and clean the pathway daily. If you do plan to stay, tell us at the estimate stage so we can sequence the noisy work into a window that fits your household.

Refacing is worth it when three conditions are true at once: the cabinet boxes are structurally sound, the boxes are square, and the existing layout already works for you. If any one of those is false, refacing is money spent on a compromise.

Refacing makes sense when:

• The boxes are plywood, solid, and not sagging or water damaged
• You are happy with where every cabinet sits and how big it is
• You want a color or door style change rather than a functional change
• Budget or timeline is the deciding constraint, since refacing typically costs a fraction of replacement and finishes in days rather than weeks

Replacement makes more sense when:

• The boxes are particleboard, which is common in kitchens from the 1980s and 1990s and tends to swell and fail at the base near the sink
• There is water damage under the sink or at the dishwasher
• You want to change the layout, cabinet sizes, or add an island
• You want deeper drawers, roll out shelves, soft close hardware, or a pantry, which are functional gains that refacing cannot deliver
• You are moving to quartz or natural stone countertops, since old boxes are not always able to carry that weight without reinforcement
• You want to take uppers to the ceiling and eliminate the dust gap above them

Two things people learn after the fact. First, refacing changes the outside only. The cabinet interiors, shelves, and their smell stay exactly as they are, and after new countertops and a new backsplash go in, dated interiors can be noticeable every time a door opens. Second, in older Chicago homes cabinets are frequently out of square because the walls and floors are, and new flat doors on out of square boxes make the misalignment more visible rather than less. Shaker and raised panel doors hide it better than slab doors do.

AMG Proline will tell you honestly which one your kitchen calls for. If your boxes are good and your layout works, we will say so rather than sell you a full replacement you do not need.

Chicago has an unusually old housing stock, with bungalows, two flats, three flats, greystones, and workers cottages built long before modern kitchens existed. Remodeling in them is very rewarding and entirely routine for a contractor who works in them regularly, but the conditions are different from a home built in the last thirty years.

Electrical. Older homes often have ungrounded two wire circuits, and some still have knob and tube wiring in place. A modern kitchen needs dedicated circuits for the refrigerator, dishwasher, disposal, microwave, and small appliance counter receptacles, plus arc fault and ground fault protection. That load frequently exceeds what an old sixty or one hundred amp service can supply, so a panel and service upgrade becomes part of the project.

Plumbing. Galvanized steel supply lines corrode from the inside and restrict flow long before they leak, so they are typically replaced when the walls are open. Cast iron drain lines are often still serviceable but can be brittle at the connections. Vent stacks were not always run the way current code requires.

Walls and structure. Plaster and lath behaves differently than drywall. It is heavier, it cracks along different lines, and it requires a different patching approach where new meets old. Floors are commonly out of level and ceilings out of plane, which matters enormously for cabinet installation, since cabinets have to be shimmed to level regardless of what the floor is doing. Bearing walls in two flats and three flats often stack through every floor.

Hidden conditions. Abandoned chimney chases, old vent runs, and framed around ductwork show up inside walls that look ordinary from the outside. Homes built before 1978 may contain lead paint, and work that disturbs it has to follow lead safe practices. Some older floor tile and pipe insulation contains asbestos and requires licensed abatement before demolition proceeds. Neither is a reason to avoid the project, but both have to be identified before demolition rather than discovered during it.

Layout. Original kitchens in these homes were small, closed off service rooms with a back stair and a pantry. Getting a modern open kitchen out of that footprint usually means removing at least one wall and rethinking where the sink and range sit.

The practical takeaway is that older home projects need an allowance for what is behind the walls. AMG Proline opens exploratory areas early where we can, tells you what we find before it becomes a change order surprise, and prices the known conditions accurately rather than quoting low and revising upward.

AMG Proline is your general contractor and handles the entire project. You sign one contract, deal with one point of contact, and follow one schedule. You do not hire, schedule, or coordinate anyone yourself.

That covers:

• Design and layout planning, plus material and finish selections
• Permit drawings, filing, and inspection scheduling
• Demolition and disposal
• Framing and structural work, including beams and wall removal
• Licensed electrical, including panel and service upgrades
• Licensed plumbing, including supply, drain, and gas line work
• HVAC and range hood venting
• Insulation, drywall, taping, and plaster repair
• Flooring, tile, and backsplash
• Cabinet installation and trim carpentry
• Countertop template, fabrication coordination, and installation
• Painting
• Appliance and fixture installation
• Final cleaning and punch list walkthrough

The reason this matters is sequencing. A kitchen has roughly a dozen trades that have to arrive in a specific order, and each one depends on the last finishing correctly. When a homeowner coordinates that directly, a single missed handoff cascades: the electrician cannot rough in because framing is not done, so he takes another job, and now he is three weeks out while the drywall crew waits. Under one contractor, that schedule is managed as one plan and the trades answer to us.

Appliances are the one item you can go either way on. Many clients prefer to purchase their own to control brand and timing, which is fine. Just get us the specification sheets early, because cabinet openings are built to the appliance dimensions and a late change to a range or refrigerator size can mean rebuilding cabinetry.

AMG Proline serves the city of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs from our base in Crestwood, Illinois.

In Chicago, we work throughout the city, including Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Logan Square, Bucktown, Wicker Park, the West Loop, the South Loop, Hyde Park, Beverly, Mount Greenwood, Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Norwood Park, Edison Park, and Garfield Ridge. We are experienced with both single family homes and condo and high rise units, including the association approval process those buildings require.

In the suburbs, we serve Orland Park, Tinley Park, Oak Lawn, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Homer Glen, Frankfort, Mokena, Lemont, Burbank, Evergreen Park, Oak Brook, Hinsdale, Naperville, Aurora, Evanston, Glencoe, and the surrounding communities.

Suburban permit requirements differ from Chicago's and vary village by village, so we file with your local building department under its specific rules rather than assuming city procedures apply.

If your address is not listed, call us at (708) 979-3298. We frequently take projects outside this list and will tell you straight away whether we can serve your location well.

Yes. AMG Proline is a licensed general contractor carrying general liability insurance and workers compensation coverage, license IL. #104.020448.

We provide a certificate of insurance on request, naming you as the property owner or naming your condo association as an additional insured where the building requires it. Associations typically require this before approving an alteration agreement, and we supply it as part of the standard package.

Our electrical and plumbing work is performed by licensed electricians and licensed plumbers who pull permits under their own licenses, which is what Chicago requires. Those licenses are separate from the general contractor license and cannot be substituted for it.

Why this matters practically: if an uninsured contractor's worker is injured in your home, you can be exposed personally. If uninsured work causes water damage to the unit below yours, the same is true. Verifying coverage takes one phone call and protects you for the life of the project.

You are welcome to verify our license and coverage before signing anything. We will provide the documentation without being asked twice.